VIDEO by James
Foley
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At Close Range True
Blue The
Immaculate Something to
[Soundtrack] 1986 Collection Remember
1986 1990 1996
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After
Madonna’s first album, she opted to give fans more of the same with the Like
A Virgin follow-up. But, after
the Like A Virgin LP had run its course, Madonna
reached a cross-road in her career. It
was time to make her third
studio album, the album that can make or break an already
established artist. Madonna was faced
with a decision:
should she continue down the teeny-bopper path
that had made her famous or should she attempt to establish
herself as a more mature pop artist? Each had their risks of course. To create another album of bubble-gum pop,
Madonna would
risk boring her fans with the monotony of unchange. To attempt a more respectable, more mature
pop
music album would be to risk alienating her already devoted fan base.
Fortunately, Madonna opted for change
and “Live To Tell” represents Madonna’s first
mature single and is the beginning of the first major image
refinement of her career.
With lyrics that weave a
sorrowful tale, “a man can tell a thousand lies, I’ve learned my lesson well,
hope I live to tell the secret I have learned, ‘till then it will burn inside
of me”, Madonna’s voice is said to be “full with loss and longing, sweep[ing] across that stark arrangement of distant synth chords and lone guitar figures, seeking, holding
secrets”. With “Live To
Tell”, Madonna proved that she can deliver a vocal performance worthy of respect
and the song became a big hit.
The song was featured in the
film, At Close Range, starring then husband Sean Penn and was later
tacked on to Madonna’s third studio album, True Blue (1986). In addition to clips from the movie, the
video also features a rather conservative version of Madonna singing the song
while surrounded in complete darkness.
The video had no gimmick and in no way focused on sex appeal, but the
song peaked at #1 just the same.
It was not in Madonna’s
nature, however, to remain without controversy for too long. Her next single would be yet another #1 smash
and would be enough to ignite a national debate on abortion.
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